Sheet delivery mechanism for printing presses or the like



March 28, 1939. I F. w. S'EYBQLD SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES OR THE LIKE 5 Sheets-Shet 1 Filed May 11, 1937 March 28', 1939. w SEYBQLD 2,152,288

SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRES SES OR THE LIKE Filed May 11) 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 28, 1939. F. w. SEYBOLD 2,152,288

SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES on THE LIKE F iled May 11, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet s March 28, 1939. F. w. SEY'BOLD SHEET DELIVEBYYMEGHANISM FOR RRINTING PRESSES" OR THE LIKE I 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Zine/0 m dz:

March 1939- F. w SEYBOLD 2,152,28

\ SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM FORJPRINTING PRESSES OR THE LIKE Filed May 11, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 0 30 60 .94 /20 a $0 2/0 244 27a 5W 55v 360 1 fifl/y/es f/rx gxzfar x nu, zqm zm'wm mm 6M Patented Mar. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHEET DELIVER-Y MECHANISM FOR PRINT- ING- PRESSES OR THE LIKE Frederick W. Seybold, Westfield, N. J., assignor to American Type Founders, Elizabeth, N. J., a corporation of Incorporated, New Jersey Application May 11, 1937, Serial No. 142,043

22 Claims.

handling members of the press at approximately the linear speed of the same and discharged onto the delivery board or table at a reduced speed.

In the operation of modern high speed printing presses, it has been found that if the printed sheets are projected onto the delivery pile at the same linear speed as the peripheral velocity of the impression cylinder, the sheets strike the rear jogger board with such force that the forward or gripper edges thereof are frequently damaged, often so much as to impair the registry of the sheets in cases where it is necessary to pass them through the press a second time.

Several proposals have been advanced with the object in view of obviating this difliculty, and these proposals have involved the use of various intermittently operated devices, cam and linkage driven conveyors, and deliveries which are operated at variable speeds by means of elliptical gearing. All of these attempted solutions of the problem have been found to be objectionable in the exceedingly large number of operating parts required, the unnecessarily great amount of space occupied by these complicated mechanisms adjacent the delivery end [of the press, and the practical diiiiculties and expense attendant upon the manufacture of these devices; especially those employing cams, elliptical gears, and other irregularly shaped elements which require special machinery and processes in their production.

It is, therefore, one of the principal objects of the invention to provide a novel and improved delivery device which is of simple, compact, and

inexpensive construction, easy to manufacture by the. use of ordinary machine tools, and which at the same time will embody mechanism for varying its linear velocity during its cycle of movement to efiect the purpose desired.

vide in a delivery device of thi's'type means for adjusting or controlling the variations in deliv-,

ery speed in accordance with the size of the sheet whichit is composed.

' Another object' ofthe,invention-is to provide a uniform motion of the impression cylinder, or

It is a further object of theinvention to probeing delivered .orthe nature;,of the material of other, moving part. of a printing pressinto the 2 variable cyclic motion required in they proper and eflicient operation'of the delivery mechanism.

A more particular object of the invention is the provision, in such a gearing assembly, of

'means for adjusting the same to vary the points 5 at which the maximum and minimum velocities of the ultimate driven element thereof occur during its cycle of movement.

- The invention in its preferred embodiment contemplates the provision -of a sheet delivery coml0 prising an endless tape conveyor which extends from a point adjacent the impression cylinder of the printing press to a point from which the sheets may be successively discharged against the rear jogger board and onto the delivery pile 15 where they may be stacked and lowered in the usual way. The conveyor preferably comprises upper and lower series of tapes'which are passed about rollers at each end of the device; certain of the rollers being provided with pinions which 2 mesh with the driven gear of the variable speedgearing interposed between the conveyor and the source of uniform motion from which it is operated; this source of motion being conveniently the impression cylinder gear.

'I'he'variable speed device in this embodiment comprises a multiple planetary system, each part of which is adapted to develop a motion which is variable during any given cycle, the motions be-,

ing compounded and transmitted to the driven 30 member which in turn imparts the resultant variable motion to the conveyor. The initial motion developed ,by the gearing is effected by a driving crank pin or other similar element which pursues a closed cyclic orbit without retracemnt during 5 any single cycle,--that is, in a continuous for-. ward direction,--this orbit in the present form of the invention being a prolate hypotrochoid. This driving element is itself made to actuate,

through certain ,otherplanetary gearing, another 40 "driving element which also follows a cyclic pathor orbit without retracement, but preferably somewhat out of phase with the first named driving element. second element also describes a prolate hypotro choid. This second driving element is operatively connectedfwith the conveyor so that the variable angular velocity representing. thev combined, ef-h in:

fects of'the movements of the .two driving elements is, transmitted thereto. Adjusting means are also provid ed in connection with certainmembers of the planetarysystem for .varyingthei' a points ofmaximumand minimumvelocity during the cyclesofmovement of the device.

In the present embodiment'the a still;further v object of the; invention is: the

provision of novel means whereby the delivery conveyor may be readily and quickly disconnected from its drive, and whereby it may be swung away from the press in two planes of movement, so that access may be had to parts of the press lying beneath the delivery mechanism.

Other objects and features of novelty will be apparent from the following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the delivery end of a press of the bed and cylinder type, to which a novel delivery device embodying the principles of the present invention has been applied;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same portion of the press and sheet delivery shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view in vertical longitudinal section through the variable speed drive .for the delivery device, and taken on line 3-3 of Figure 4, certain parts being broken away for the sake of clearness of illustration;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view through the same device taken substantially on line 4-4 of Figure 3;

obtaining access to the printing form on the bed of the press;

Figure 8 is a chart showing graphically the curves depicting the velocity ratios of the various driving and driven elements;

Figure 9 is a diagram showing the paths of the two crank pins, referred to broadly herein as the driving elements; and s Figure 10 is a diagrammatic view showing one method of driving the impression cylinder gear.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 1, 2, and 7 of the drawings, the numeral i0 designates the main supporting frame of the printing press to which the novel sheet delivery is applied; only the delivery end of the press being I the delivery end of the press frame for swinging movement in a horiozntal plane to and frovm its operative position. The press frame In is .provided with suitable-upper and lower brackets 2i and 22 which carry a vertical pintle rod 23 upon which is adapted to rotate the brackets 24' and 25 formed on the frame 20 of the delivery assembly. This frame 20 is preferably of somewhat triangular configuration as shown in Figure 7 and is provided with the'horiz'ontally extending side frame portions 21 and 28 upon which are cari ried the pileor stack lowering mechanism which "may-comprise the truck 28, the gearing 30 and other more or less conventional structure for guiding, supporting, and lowering the pile of printed sheets indicated at 32.

The delivery conveyor, which in the present embodiment comprises an endless tape and roller conveyor, is indicated generally bythe reference numeral 35. The rigid frame of the conveyor device comprises the side members 36 and 31 which are braced by means of the cross rods 38 and are provided at one end with the hinge brackets 39 and 40, each of which is provided with outwardly extending trunnions which are rotatably mounted in bearings in the delivery side frames 21 and 28. The bracket trunnion 39 rotates in the bearing 42, and the bracket 40 is provided with a'trunnion shaft 43 which passes through a suitable bearing in the side frame 28. The trunnionjshaft 43 is provided exteriorly of the side frame 28 with a sheave 45 about which passes a cord 46, one end of which is secured as at 41 to a portion of the sheave 45, the other end being secured as at 48 to a sleeve 49 which is loosely mounted upon the pintle shaft 23 and is urged downwardly by the coil spring 50 which surrounds the shaft and is adapted to be compressed between the sleeve 49 and the bracket 2|. The cord 46 is passed around the sheave 45 in such a direction as to continually exert a pressure thereon so as to urge the sheave and the pintle 43 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 1. Thus the spring 50, acting through the mechanism just described, serves to counterbalance the weight of the conveyor frame 35 and to facilitate the lifting of the frame away from the operative position shown in Figures 1 and 2 to the raised position shown in Figure "l, or in broken lines in Figure 1. It will be readily understood that when access to the form l2 or other mechanism of the press which normally lies beneath the sheet delivery is desired, the delivery conveyor 35 may be readily swung upwardly to its raised position and then the entire delivery and pile supporting frame 20 swung horizontally away from the press to the positions shown in Figure '7.

At each end of the delivery conveyor 35 there are disposed upper and lower shafts'which carry the rollers about which the upper and lower conveyor tapes are adapted to run. The lower tape rollers are indicated at 52, and the lower tapes themselves are shown at 54. The upper tape driving shafts are indicated at 55 and carry the pulleys 56 about which the upper tapesor bands 51 are passed. At the discharge end of the conto support the conveyor in its pr6per operative position for receiving the printed sheets from the impression cylinder and for operative connection with the driving transmission which is carried by the main part of the press.

In order to retain the conveyor 35 in its raised position, there is provided a latch member 82 pivoted to the side frame member 21 as at 83 and havinga notch 65 formed therein for the reception of the pin 56 carried by the trunnion bracket 39 of the conveyor. As shown in broken lines in Figure 1 of the drawings, when the conveyor is in its raised position, the pin 55 is received within the notch 65 and the latch member 62 serves to prevent the conveyor from falling. when the conveyor is in operative position,

a projection 61 on the rear end of the latch 62 abuts the undersurface of a ledge 68 on the frame 2'! and serves to maintain the latch in a horizontal idle position. Numerous auxiliary devices may, of course, be provided in connection with the novel sheet delivery arrangement, such ee for example, the gas burner 10 and the apron In order to take the printed sheets from the impression cylinder I5 and properly guide them to the tape conveyor device 35, there is provided the following mechanism. A series of presser rollers 15 are carried by the-arms 16 which are supported from the cross shaft 71 carried by the press frame I0. The stripper f ngers 80 which serve to separate the sheets from the impression cylinder I5 are carried by a shaft 8I. A transverse sheet delivery roller shaft 82 is carried in suitable bearings in the frame I and is driven by mechanism which will presently be described. The delivery rollers 84 are carried by this shaft, and the delivery tension rollers 85 are disposed in running contact with certain of the rollers 0.4 and assist in delivering the printed sheet from the impression cylinder. These rollers 85 are carried by the arms 08 which are free to swing on the shaft 11. The collars 88 secured to the shaft 1'! between the bifurcated rear ends of the arms 86 serve to maintain the rollers 85 in the proper laterally spaced positions.

The sheet delivgry roller shaft 82 is provided upon its outer en with a gear 90 which meshes with the toothed section 9| of the cluster gear 02, this cluster gear being rotatably mounted upon the shaft 93 and having a toothed portion 95 which meshes with and is driven by the impression cylinder gear 96 as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. The rollers 84 are thus driven at a constant peripheral speed corresponding to that of the impression cylinder I5. The impression cylinder mounted on shaft I is rotatable with its gear 96 in the usual manner. Gear 06 is driven at a constant angular velocity in any of the known ways, for instance by a gear 96 on shaft 96 rotated at a constant angular velocity by a primary source of power, such as a motor (not shown). For further details reference may be had to Patent No. 1,777,092.

The driving connections from the impression cylinder gear 96 to the conveyor mechanism 35 will now be described. Secured as by means of the bolts 98 to the portion I6 of the main press frame is the housing I00 to which a "cover plate I0} is secured as by means of the bolts I02. A stub shaft I 04 is adjustably rotatably mounted in the bearings I05 and I06 formed in the housing I00 and the cover plate IOI respectively, and serves to support the various elements of the transmission mechanism about to be described. A main driving gear- II 0 is freely rotatable on the shaft I04 and meshes with the toothed portion III of the cluster gear 92 so as to be driven thereby. The gear IIO carries a pin II2 upon whichthe planet pinion H3 is adapted to rotate; this pinion II 3 being continually in mesh with the sun gear II5 which is keyed to the shaft I04. At a predetermined distance from the axis of the'planet pinion II3.there is provided a' driving element or crank pin I I6 upon which is carried a rectangular block II8. A rotatable plate or arm I 20 is provided adjacent its center with a bushing I2I and is freely rotatable upon the shaft I04. One end of the arm I20 is provided with a slot I22 within which the block H8 is adapted to reciprocate during the operation of the device. Upon the opposite end of the arm I20 there is provided a circular opening I24 which is adapted to receive the hub I25 of the planetary pinion I20 which also meshes with the sun gear II5 during operation of the transmission. The pinion I26 may be provided with an extended hub portion I21 on the side opposite to the bearing hub I25, the outer surface of which may bear against a corresponding surface of the main driving gear H0 in order to properly position the pinion with respect to the other members of the gearing assembly.- Eccentrically carried by the pinion I25 at a predetermined distance from its center is the crank pin I30 which carries the rectangular block I3I adapted to reciprocate within the slot I32 of the large driven gear I 35 which is free to rotate upon the shaft I 04. The gear I35 meshes with the portion I36 of the compound gear I3'I fixed to the upper tape or band carrying shaft 55. The otherthe delivery frame is raised out of operative position, the toothed portion I38 of the compound gear I3! is lifted out of mesh with the latch gear I35 of the transmission, and thus the driving connection is broken. This disconnection of the driving train may be readily observed in-Figure 7 of the drawings.

From the following explanation, it will be clear- 1y apparent how the transmission, which has just been described, transforms the continuous uniform rotary motion of the impression cylinder gear into the variable speed at which the tapes of the delivery conveyor are driven in accordance with the principal object of the present invention. Since the main driving gear II 0 of the transmission revolves the planetary pinion II 3 around the stationary sun gear II5, the crank pin II6 describes an orbit which in the present embodiment of the invention is the prolate epitrochoid indicated at S in Figure 9 of the drawings. In this diagrammatic figure the pitch circles of the several gears are given the same reference numerals as the gears themselves in the mechanical figures, and the centers of rotation of these gears are indicated by the characters employed in designating the axles or pins upon which they rotate. The driving elements .or crank pins IIS and I30, however, are respectively designated A and B in, the initial positions which they are made to assume in the diagram in gear I26 is moved from the position shown at the left hand side of the diagram to the position shown in the lower right hand portion of the figure due to the rotation of the arm I 20 caused by themovement of the crank pin 0. During this movement of the gear, it is revolving around' the sun gear H5, and the second driving crank pin I 30 moves from the position designated B to position B. During the complete cycle of movement of the gearing, the crank pin I30 describes the prolate epitrochoidal orbit designated T in Figure 9. It will be noted that in this particular embodiment the crank pin B is initially disposed 90 (.11) out of phase with the driving crank pin IIB in-order to attain the desired variations in 5 the angular velocity of the driven gears. It is readily conceivable, however, that the two plane tary systems may be disposed in phase with each other or at any suitable angular displacement, depending upon the specific variations in velocity desired. The angle designated is the angle which the crank b makes with the horizontal axis I0--I0 when 0 equals zero; the angle is the angle which a line drawn through the pin H6 and center I04 makes with the I0-I0 axis; and the angle is the angle which a line drawn through the pin I30 and the center I04 makes with the I.0-I0 axis, all as clearly shown in the diagram of Figure 9. During the movement of the gearing from the initial points indicated at A and B the angular'displacement of the point B has become equal to Both of the crank pins IIS and I30 are disposed at a distance from the centers of their respective pinions which are less than the radii of the pinions, and therefore the paths or orbits S and T are prolate epitrochoids.

The angular velocity of the crank pin H6 and consequently of the slotted arm I20 may be determined according to the following equation:

where,

' K=ratio of the distance between the centers of the planet pinion I I6 and the sun ear H5, to the crank length of the crank pin II6, M=the ratio of the sun gear to the planet gear, w0=the uniform angular velocity of the driving gear H0, and

w1=the variable angular velocity of the driven arm I20.

In this particular design, the gear ratio M=1, since the diameters of the pinions H3 and I26 are thesame as that of the sun gear H5; and K=3 for the first crank pin and K=5 for the second crank pin I30, which is carried by the pinion I28 rotated by the arm I20. Therefore, the velocity formulae are solved as follows:

(00 109 cos 0 and The velocity ratio of the driven gear I85.to the driving gear IIO will be:

75. It will thus be seen that the final angular velocity of the driving element or crank pin I30 and of the final gear I35 of the transmission may be determined, and this represents the variable motion which is imparted through the pinions I31 and I40 to the tapes of the delivery conveyor.

In Figure 8 there are shown curves representing-the variable motions of certain parts of the transmission. The curves indicate velocity ratios (driven members to driving members) plotted against the angles through which the main driving gear I I0 carrying the pinion I I3 passes. The curve I represents the velocity ratioof the crank pin IIB, represented at A in Figure 9, as the crank center II2 passes through the angles 0. The curve II represents the velocity ratio of the crank I30 indicated at B in Figure 9 to the crank A (I I6) The resultant velocity ratio curve III represents the velocity ratio of the final crank pin I30 or the driven gear I35 to the velocity of the drive gear 0, or the product of the two curves I and II.

The values upon which the curves are based are set forth in the following tabulation:

Mb: 0 2 web a we (I) m I) M (111) Degrees is nearer the point of minimum velocity. lt-will also be noted that the slope of the curve III representing the period of deceleration of the conveyor is longer and more gradual than the opposite slope representing the accelerating movement of the conveyor from its minimum to its maximum relative velocities.

This feature is advantageous in providing a slightly longer period of time during which the sheets are carried at a diminishing speed toward the delivery point, and providing a. relatively quick recovery to the maximum speed approximating that of the impression cylinder preparatory to receiving a subsequent sheet.

In order to vary the degree of reduction of the delivery speed with relation to the cylinder speed, the point at which the 'minimum linear speed of the tapes occurs is shifted along the cycle of movement thereof. This is also useful in accommodating sheets of different sizes as well as varying the speed of discharge of sheets of a given size. This shifting of the location of the point of maximum and minimum linear velocities of the conveyors is accomplished by rotating the sun gear IIS and thus displacing the crank pins I I6 and I30 a desired distance along their orbits. As already described, the sun gear I I5 is keyed to the shaft I04, and upon the projecting end of the shaft I04 there is secured a handle I as by means of the clamping bolt I5I which serves to draw the bifurcated ends I52 of the handle member together upon the shaft. The handle member I50 is provided with a segmental slot I55 which is preferably .of 120 extent. A pin or stud I56 projects from the housing I00 through the slot I55 and has a clamping hand wheel I51 threaded upon its outer end. By rotating the wheel I51 upon the stud I56 the handle bracket I50 may be freed for rotative adjustment, or clamped tightly in its selected position. By'the proper adjustment of the sun gear II5 through the manipulation of the handle I50, as much as a 40% reduction in delivery speed of the conveyor below that of the linear velocity of the impression cylinder may be attained.

Among the advantages accruing from the possibility of this adjustment are the following: the sheets are deposited gently in the jogger; the sheets are prevented from scraping over one another; the mutilation and crumpling of the sheets are eliminated; the jogging is made more effective; and the drying time is increased.

' It will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the exemplary embodiment illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope of the invention as determined by the subjoined' claims.

In the broader claims the term .driving'elements is employed to indicate patentable equivalents of the crank pins I I6 and I30, and when it is stated that these elements are moved without retracement along a cyclic path, it is understood that this shall mean that these elements move continuously forwardly along these closed cyclic orbits without retracing any portion thereof during a single cycle.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a printing press of the class described, having an impression cylinder, means for driving said cylinder at a constant angular velocity, and an endless tape conveyor disposed with its receiving end adjacent said cylinder and its discharge end adjacent the point of delivery of the printed sheets; means having a single connection,

with said cylinder driving means to drive said conveyor, said means comprising a plurality of trains of epicyclicgearing adapted to convert the uniform velocity of said driving means to a variable velocity and imparting it to said conveyor,

whereby the conveyor is adapted to receive a sheet from the cylinder while moving at approximately the peripheral speed of said cylinder and to discharge it at a reduced speed.

2.- In a printing press of the class described,

having an impression cylinder, means for driving said cylinder at a constant angular velocity, .and

a conveyor disposed adjacent said cylinder;

means having a single connection with said cylinder driving means to drive said conveyor, said means comprising successive trains of epicyclic gearing adapted to convert the angular velocity of said driving means to. a variable velocity and impart it to said conveyor, whereby the conveyor is adapted to receive a sheet from the cylinder while moving at approximately the peripheral speed of said cylinder and to discharge it at a reduced speed.

3. In a printing press, in combination, an impression cylinder or the like, a delivery conveyor adapted to receive printed sheets from said'cylinder at substantially the peripheral speed of the latter and to deliver them at a different speed,

and a plurality of systems of planetary gearing operatively connected in series and disposed between said cylinder and said conveyor and having a single actuating connection only with said cylinder.

4. In a printing press or the like, having a supporting frame, a rotary sheet handling member adapted to be driven at asubstantially constant angular velocity, and a delivery conveyor supported upon said frame adjacent said member and adapted to receive a sheet therefrom, the combination of a shaft carried by said frame, a sun gear keyed thereto, a planet'gear meshing with said sun gear, a rotatable planet carrier driven from said sheet handling member and supporting said planet gear for revolution about said sun gear, a second planet carrier rotatable about said shaft, a pin and slot driving connection between said planet gear and said second planet carrier, a second planet gear also meshing with said sun gear and carried by said second planet carrier for revolution about said sun gear, a driven member operatively connected with said conveyor, and a pin and slot driving connection between said member and said last named planet gear.

5. In a printing press or the like, having a supporting frame, an impression cy1inder,an impression cylinder shaft rotatably mounted in said frame, an impression cylinder gear secured upon said shaft, means for driving said gear at a substantially uniform angular velocity, and a delivery conveyor disposed upon said frame adjacent said impression cylinder to receive the printed sheets therefrom while moving at approximately the same linear speed as the peripheral speed of the impression cylinder and to deliver them at a reduced speed, the combination of a shaft carried on said frame, a sun gear fixed thereon, a planet gear meshing with said sun gear, a rotatable planet carrier driven by said impression cylinder gear at the same angular velocity as the latter, and supporting said planet gear for revolution about said sun gear, a second planet carrier rotatable about said shaft, a pin and slot driving connection between said planet gear and said second planet carrier, a second planet gear also meshing with said sun gear and carried by said second planet for revolution about said sun gear, a driving pinion on said conveyor, a driven gear rotatably mounted on said last named shaft and adapted to mesh with said conveyor pinion, and a pin and slot driving connection between said driven gear and said last named planet gear. I

6. In a printing press or the like, in combination, a supporting frame, an impression cylinder, an impression cylinder shaft rotatably mounted in said frame, an impression cylinder gear secured upon said shaft, means for driving said gear at a substantially uniform angular velocity, an endlesstape delivery conveyor disposed upon said frame adjacent said impression cylinderto receive the printed sheets therefrom while moving at approximately the same linear speed as the peripheral speed of the impression-cylinder and to deliver them at a reduced speed, said conveyor being mounted for swinging movement away from operative position with respect to the press,

a shaft carried on said frame, a sun gear fixed thereon, a planet gear meshing ,with said sun gear, a rotatable planet carrier driven by said impression cylinder gear at the same angular velocity as the latter, and supporting said planet gear for revolution about said sun gear, a second planet carrier rotatable about said shaft, a pin and slot driving connection between said planet gear and said second planet carrier, a second planet gear also meshing with said sun gear and carried by said second planet carrier for revolution about said sun gear, a driven gear rotatably mounted on said last named shaft, and a pin and slot driving connection between said driven gear and said last named planet gear, and a. conveyor actuating pinion on said conveyor adapted to mesh with said driven gear during operation of the press and conveyor and to be disengaged therefrom when said conveyor is swung away from the press.

"1. In a printing press or the supporting frame, a rotary sheet handling member carried by said frame, means for rotating said member at constant angular velocity, anda delivery conveyor disposed adjacent said member;-means for driving said conveyor in timed relation to said member through successive delivery cycles during each of which the speed of said conveyor varies from a maximum approximating the constant speed of the sheet handling member to a minimum at which a sheet is discharged from the conveyor and then back to its maximum speed, said last named means having a single connection with said first named means and comprising a sun gear, two planet gears meshing with and adapted to revolve about said sun gear, means for rolling one of said planet gears around said sun gear at substantially con-' stant angular velocity, means aflfording a driving connection between said planet gear and the other planet gearfor rolling the latter about the sun gear at an angular velocity which varies regularlyduring each cycle, and means affording a driving connection between said second planet gear and said conveyor to establish a still further variation in the speed of the latter during each cycle, whereby maximum and minimum speeds of the conveyor are obtained.

8. In a printing press, having a supporting frame, a rotary impression cylinder, means for driving said cylinder at a substantially constant angular velocity, and a delivery conveyor disposed adjacent said member; means for driving said conveyor in timed relation to said cylinder through successive delivery cycles during each. of which the speed of said conveyor varies from a maximum approximating the constant speed of the impression cylinder to a minimum at which a sheet is discharged from the conveyor, and then back to its maximum speed; said last named means comprising a shaft carried by said frame, a sun gear rigid with said shaft, a planet carrier rotatable about said shaft, means operatively connecting said planet carrier with said impression cylinder driving means for synchronous movement, a planet gear carried by said planet carrier and adapted to roll about said sun gear in mesh therewith, a crank pin carried by said planet gear and adapted to move in a non-circular orbit about said. shaft at a variable angular like, having a s therewith, a second crank pin carried by said second planet gear and adapted to move in a non-circular orbit about said shaft at a variable angular velocity which is the resultant of the combined variable velocities produced by the successive planetary movements of said planetary gears and their crank pins, a driven member operatively connected with said conveyor and a pin and slot connection between said last named crank pin and said driven member for imparting said resultant variable velocity to said conveyor whereby said maximum and minimum speeds of the conveyor are obtained.

9. The combination .set forth in claim 8 in which said secondnamed crank pin is given an initial position out of phase with the first named crank pin, whereby the deceleration portion of the cycle of movement of said conveyor is longer than the acceleration portions 10. The combination set forth in claim 8 in which said shaft is carried in bearings in the frame and is provided with means for rotatably adjusting it through an angle of limited degree,

whereby said sun gear and said planet gear may be rotated in order to advance or retract the points of minimum velocity of the conveyor with respect to the points of discharge of the sheets to accommodate the variations in speed of the conveyor to the length of the sheets being printed or to the permissible force of discharge of the sheet.

11. In a device of the class described, a transmission gearing assembly comprising, in combination, a main driving member adapted to rotate at a constant angular velocity, a driven member, a driving element operatively interposed be tween said members, means operated by said driving member for moving said driving element along an epitrochoidal orbit, means maintaining a constant operative connection between said driving element and said driven member, whereby said driven member is rotated continuously' in one direction through successive similar cycles of movement, each of which is at a variable angular velocity.

12. In a device of the class described, a transmission gearing assembly comprising, in combisuccessive similar cycles of movement each of which is at a variable angular velocity.

13. In a device of the class described, a transmission gearing assembly comprising, in combination, a main driving member, means for rotating said member at a constant angular ve-- locity, a rotary driven member adapted to be moved through successive cycles at a variable angular velocity, means for operatively connecting said members comprising two driving elements successively interposed between said members and respectively adapted to be moved without retracement through continuous, closed, noncircular, cyclic orbits while maintaining constant phase relation therebetween, means operatively connected with said driving member for moving said first named element through its orbit, means operatively connecting said first named nation, a main driving member adapted to ro- I element with said second named element for moving the latter through its orbit, and means for establishing a driving connection between said second driving elements and said driven member.

14. The combination set forth in claim 13 in which the two driving elements are disposed approximately 90 out of phase with each other.

15. In a device of the class described, in combination, a driving member, a driven member, transmission means operatively connecting said members comprisinga plurality of trains of epicyclic gearing, means for operatively connecting said epicyclic trains in series, whereby they move in constant phase relation and the variable cyclic motions developed by each train are combined, and means for imparting the resultant variable motion to said driven member.

16. In a device of the class described, in combination, a driving member, a driven member, transmission means operatively connecting said members comprising a plurality of trains of epicyclic gearing, means for operativelyv connecting said epicyclic trains in series, whereby they move in constant phase relation and the variable cyclic motions developed by each train are combined, means for imparting the resultant variable motion to said driven member, and adjusting means connected with both of said trains of gearing for simultaneously shiftingv the phases of said trains to cause the points of minimum velocity of said driven member to occur at different points in its cycle of movement.

17. In a device of the class described, in combination, a driving member and a driven member, a double epicyclic gearing assembly, each epicyclic train thereof including a planet gear having a crank pin thereon, the first planet gear being driven by said driving member, operative driving connections between the crank pin of said first train with the planet gear of the second train, and means operatively connecting the crank pin of said second train with the driven member.

18. In a printing press of the class described, in combination, a main frame, an auxiliary sheet delivery frame, pivoted to said main frame for horizontal swinging movement to and from operative position, a conveyor for transferring printed sheets from said press, a supporting frame therefor pivoted to said auxiliary frame for vertical swinging movement to and from operative position.

19. In a printing press of the class described, in combination, a main press frame, a printing couple thereon comprising an impression cylinder and a horizontally reciprocating form bed, a sheet delivery supporting frame disposed at one end of the main press frame, a delivery conveyor carried by said delivery frame and-normally adapted to occupy a substantially horizontal position wherein its receiving end extends toward the impression cylinder and above said form bed, a horizontal pivot connecting said conveyor with said delivery frame and a vertical pivot connecting said delivery frame with said press frame, whereby said conveyor may be swung upwardly away from the impression cylinder and form bed,

trains of epicyclic gearing disposed in series connecting said driving and driven members.

21. The combination recited in claim 20 with means ti) adjust said transmission to cause the point of minimum velocity of said driven member to occur at different points in its cycle of movement.

22. In a printing press, in combination, an impression cylinder rotating at a constant angular velocity, a delivery conveyor adapted to receive printed sheets from said cylinder at substantially the peripheral speed of the latter and deliver them at a reduced speed, and means to actuate.

said conveyor including a unitary variable speed transmission comprising a driving member, a driven member connected to operate the conveyor, two trains of epicyclic gearing disposed in series connecting said driving and driven members, and single means rotating said driving member at a constant angular velocity.

FREDERICK W. SEYBOLD. 

